The present invention relates generally to superconducting levitation magnets and, more particularly, to a cost effective apparatus and method for levitating a diamagnetic material using a magnetic field produced by a superconducting magnet.
The use of a magnetic field to levitate a diamagnetic material is known in the prior art. This type of technology has been used to levitate objects such as water, frogs, golf balls, peanuts, etc. Among other things, levitation magnets can be used to study the effects of microgravity on plant or crystal growth, without traveling in space.
There are generally three types of magnets available for diamagnetic levitation: resistive magnets, superconducting magnets, and hybrid magnets (i.e., part resistive and part superconducting). The cost to produce and operate such conventional levitation magnets, however, is high. Presently available resistive magnets cost roughly a half a million dollars to produce and operate and they consume tens of megawatts of power during operation. Presently available hybrid magnets cost a few million dollars to provide very uniform levitation fields. Known superconducting magnets are a less expensive solution, but still require a capital cost of around one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and at least fairly modest operating costs. Moreover, due to their size, a person may have difficulty repositioning such magnets without assistance. Examples of such levitation applications are described in Of Flying Frogs and Levitrons, M. V. Berry and A. K. Geim, EUR. J. PHYS. 18 (1997), pgs. 307-313 and Diamagnetic Levitation: Flying Frogs and Floating Magnets, M. D. Simon and A. K. Geim, J. APPL. PHYS., Vol. 87, No. 9, 1 May 2000, pgs. 6200-6204, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As recognized by the inventors hereof, a cost effective apparatus and method that levitates diamagnetic material using a superconducting magnet that requires less material and less space, costs less, and that is more user friendly than traditional levitation magnets, is needed.